Horror games? Whatever, I'll die.

Huang Fang happened to have some things to do these past few days, so he stayed in the dormitory for a few more days. Otherwise, Liang Zaibing would have to take a half-day bus ride to the countryside to find him.

When I arrived at the dormitory building, the main gate was already locked, but luckily I could open it with my face.

The dormitory building was deserted during the summer vacation. It was almost completely dark in the corridor at ten o'clock, with only one or two rooms having lights on.

When Liang Zaibing reached the dormitory door, she could see through the air vent that it was completely dark inside.

The environment, so similar to that in the dungeon, gave him goosebumps, as if the ghost baby was still lying on the ceiling, waiting to bite off his neck.

But he knew very well that this was just his own imagination scaring him.

Liang Zaibing took a light breath, turned the lock on the door, and went inside.

The dormitory room that used to house four people was now empty, with thick dust covering the beds belonging to Lu Hao and Lin Yucheng, number 1 and number 2.

Liang Zaibing tried to recall how they met, but her mind was blank, mistakenly overwritten by a copy of her memories.

That was all; they were like NPCs who existed briefly in a dungeon, disappearing without a trace once they returned to reality.

My chest feels heavy, as if I'm being suffocated and unable to breathe properly.

Where is Huang Fang? Where is he?

Liang Zaibing panicked and lifted the bed curtain, only to find the room empty.

He turned and rushed out of the dormitory, bumping into someone.

Huang Fang stepped back, holding the water jug, looking puzzled. "I just went out to get some water, why do you look like your father just died?"

Liang Zaibing almost punched him in the face, but she held back in the end.

call--

Don't be angry, don't be angry. After all, he's just a newbie who just passed the beginner level. I won't hold it against him.

"I came to see if you're dead or not." Liang Zaibing glared at him, rubbed the barcode on her lower back, and took out the red umbrella.

Huang Fang stared at him, shouting, "You called me in the middle of the night just to show me your new magic trick? That's pretty cool."

Huang Fang glanced at it twice and said, "This umbrella looks familiar. I had one that looked very similar before, but it was white."

Liang Zaibing sensed something was wrong. "Didn't you enter the dungeon? You don't have a barcode on you?"

"What dungeon? I've been playing games in my dorm the whole time," Huang Fang said, shaking the kettle. "I just came out to get some water."

"You don't remember what happened in the dungeon?"

Liang Zaibing was stunned and didn't recover for a long time.

He hurriedly brought up the control panel, clicked on the forum, and searched for "A-level promotion dungeon." The first line of large text that popped up was—

[Solo Dungeon]

Therefore, he was the only one participating in the entire instance. Lu Hao, Lin Yucheng, and Huang Fang were all just characters within the instance.

This also explains why Huang Fang appears in Rank A dungeons, and why there are no anchor points for his awakened memories in the dungeons.

He couldn't imagine whether he would have survived the dungeon if the horror game had been even more vicious and given Huang Fang'an the role of a mole.

Seeing his dark expression, Huang Fang thought that his words had offended him, and asked cautiously, "What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"

“I’ve run into some trouble,” Liang Zaibing said, pinching his temples in frustration. “Do you remember Lu Hao and Lin Yucheng, our former roommates?”

Huang Fang was even more confused. "I've never heard of these two. When we registered for freshman year, there were only the two of us in one dorm room. Our counselor even told us that after all the dorm assignments were done in the entire college, we were the only two left, so we lived in a four-person room. Don't you remember?"

"I..." Liang Zaibing's mind was even more confused. The vague impressions, the experiences in the dungeon, and Huang Fang's words were all intertwined, and she couldn't tell which sentence was true.

When he inadvertently glanced at the broken corner of the window, he suddenly regained his senses.

He remembered that Lu Hao had accidentally smashed the ball while dribbling in the dormitory. Apart from him, neither he nor Huang Fang played basketball.

So Lu Hao and Lin Yucheng did indeed exist, but they were erased.

They were inexplicably killed even though they hadn't participated in the horror game.

Horror games don't invade reality, but they still have the power to influence it. If Huang Fang dies in the instance, he'll probably disappear without a trace.

Having only glimpsed the terrifying corner beneath the surface of the horror game, Liang Zaibing felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness welling up from the bottom of her heart.

What can they do? They can't do anything but struggle to survive in dungeons like clowns.

Seeing Liang Zaibing visibly despondent, Huang Fang panicked.

This person has always been unserious, and has never been in such a bad mood before.

Huang Fang leaned the kettle against the wall, then pulled Liang Zaibing and walked out of the dormitory.

"You can't do this. I'll take you somewhere to relax and unwind."

Liang Zaibing had no interest in such matters, so she let him lead the way.

-----

Even though it was nearly 11 p.m., the bar street was still as lively as daytime.

The "blueblood" sign hangs on the flashing, colorful light board.

The music in the bar was so loud it was almost deafening, pulling Liang Zaibing out of her daze.

I was so busy covering my ears that I didn't have time to think about any other nonsense.

Huang Fang had been here a few times and knew the way well, so he led him down from the bar.

Liang Zaibing frowned, covered her ears, and shouted at Huang Fang, "What are you doing here?"

"Of course we're here to drink!" Huang Fang shouted. "What's bothering you? You'll just get drunk, sleep it off, and forget everything."

Liang Zaibing smiled with a hint of bitterness. If only it were that easy.

The bartender handed the prepared drinks to the previous customer and greeted them, "What would you two like to drink?"

"A glass of gin and tonic."

Huang Fang skillfully ordered and paid the bill, then turned to Liang Zaibing, "What would you like to drink? My treat?"

Even at this moment, Liang Zaibing still noticed the shocking 88 yuan on the payment interface.

"88 yuan a cup? That's highway robbery!"

Huang Fang gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry about it. Even if I drink myself into bankruptcy today, I won't say a word."

On the way here, he heard some things about the dungeon. Even though he was in such a precarious situation, Liang Zaibing still chose to take him with her to find a way to survive, and was even willing to take the lead in paving the way for him.

Although the person in the instance wasn't him, it's impossible not to be moved.

He'd have to spend all his money tonight to make his buddy happy.

Seeing his expression of facing death with such equanimity, Liang Zaibing couldn't help but laugh, feeling much more relaxed.

Whether it's true or not, the most gratifying thing today is that they are all truly alive.

Liang Zaibing gave him a tight hug on the shoulder. "Okay, I'll drink you bankrupt today."

"Tch, you might be knocked out after two drinks. Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"

Liang Zaibing pointed at him and said, "Just don't cry if you go bankrupt."

Huang Fang was quite defiant at this point, saying, "Who's afraid of who?"

Liang Zaibing turned to the bartender with an air of confidence, "Give me a drink without alcohol."

"...Sir, this is a bar."